AUGUST 11, 1995

SALISBURY - The Aug. 22nd dedication of one of the state's newest prison dorms at Piedmont Correctional Institution will keep more inmates in prison longer.

Correction Secretary Franklin Freeman will take part in the 10:00 a.m. dedication ceremony to be held for the 208-bed dorm which will serve as a prison processing center.

Piedmont will be the first stop for felons from the western half of the state entering the prison system. They will remain at the prison until they're assigned to another one of the state's 92 prisons.

The 33,752 square foot building has eight wings. Each wing has a day room with bolted-down steel tables, and a bath area. An administrative hall and control center divides the wings into two main sections with four housing areas on both sides. Lockers are placed at the end of the bunk beds and along the wall.

Four new 12-man road squads will be created from the expansion at Piedmont bringing the number of inmates working on the roads to 2,428.

"Offenders might as well plan on spending long, hard days at work if they're sentenced to prison," said Correction Secretary Franklin Freeman. "As the prison system continues to grow, so will the number of jobs for inmates.

Inmates will be brought in on a gradual basis during the weeks following the dedication.

The dorm will be open for public tours Friday, August 25th at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Anyone interested in touring the new dormitory should call Ms. Sandy Sawyer and make an appointment. The phone number is (704) 639-7540. The prison is located at 977 Camp Road.

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